Soft-soap dispenser



May 27, 1930. F. M. FUNK SOFT SOAP DISPENSER Filed July 24, 1929 a 6 1,. m m V J I /N M/ M r///// r//// H 5 a M Y a m 5 5 mm w N\ J P m I I k 1 Y 2 m B @w m 5 the propeller ceases to turn.

Patented May 27, 1939 treatise F ANK M, FUNK, or nnrnorr, MICHIGAN SOFT-SOAP Application filed July 24,

This invention relates to a soft soap dispenser. i it Amongthe various types of soft soap dispensers thathave been used heretofore are L those which use a plunger alone to eject the soap, and those which use the combination of a plunger and a fan having vertically disposed blades which blades rotate the soap over a knife edge adjacent an outlet in the i 9' base ofthecontainer, the plunger serving to'press the soap downwardly and the knife serving. to slice a piece from the bottom of the soap. The difficulty with the plunger type of dispenser is that thefsoap continues 15 to run out ofthe spout after the operator has ceased to actuate theplunger.

It is one of the objects of this invention to produce a dispenser of such a type that the soap will ceaseto flow from the spout the 2. instant thatthe operator ceases to actuate the device. This has been achieved by completely abandoning the old idea of the plunger pressure type of ejector and using instead an impeller fan ejector of the type 5 having blades inclined from the vertical. By using-this type ofejector the pressure used for ejecting the soap is wholly localized or concentrated andis purely temporary, the pressure ceasing to exist at the instant Instead of having the pressure distributed uniformly throughout the entire mass of soap, the pressurezisloealized to the lower strata of the soap immediately adjacent the bottom of the 9P container and for practical purposes is concentrated upon that minute portion of the soap. which is to be ejected forthwith. With this type of fan ej ector owing to the inclination of the bladesfrom the vertical a 0 new problem arises; namely that of filling the can or dispenser with soap. It is obvious that for this type of fan ejector that difficulty and inconvenience will resultif the soap is put into the dispenser before the fan. Hence, it is another object of this invention DIS'JEENSER 1929. Serial No. 380,495.

the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3of Fig. 2. i

Fig. 4: is an elevation of the fan ejector and shaft.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the impeller fan.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that the dispenser comprises a cylindrical soap container 1 provided with a suitable cover 2 and a bottom 3. Inasmuch as the soap is arranged to be ejected through the bottom 3 of the container, the bottom 8 is provided with a radial slot a. It will be seen 2) that the sides of the slot 4 do not project above the upper surface of the bottom 3. The bottom has fixed thereto about the slot 4: the spout 5 through which the soap is ejected.

For the purposeof ejecting the soap I have provided the impeller fan 6 which consists of the blades 7 which are inclined from the vertical as shown in Figs. i and 5. The fan is arranged to be turned in the. direction of the arrow (Fig. 5) with the upper forward edge 8 spaced upwardly from the bottom 3 of the container and with the lower edge 9 positioned to the rear of the upper front edge 8 and in sliding engagement with the upper surface of the bottom 3. The'fan blades 7 are mounted in the disc-like hub 10 which has the centrally threaded aperture 11 arranged to receive the lower threaded end 12 of the spindle 13 and the threaded end 14: of the headed stud 15. The threaded end 12 of the spindle 13 when in operative position is disposed in the threaded opening 11 of the hub 10 adjacent the threaded end 14 of the headed stud 15. The spindle 13 also has fixed therein the key 17.

In assembly the spindle 13 is threaded into the aperture 11 of the hub 10 and the impeller is then placed flush against the upper face of the bottom 3 of the container as shown in Fig. 2 with the opening 11 disposed above the central opening 18 of the bottom 3. The headed stud 15 is then projected from the under side upwardly through the opening 18 in the base 3 and screwed into the hub 10. The stud 15 is in rotative relation with the base 3 in the opening 18, and consequently serves to properly position the impeller fan 6 and also serves as a shaft when the impeller is rotated.

The spindle 13 is arranged to fit within the hollow pipe 19 which is exteriorly threaded as at, 20, the thread being preferably left handed. The pipe 19 has the bayonet slots 21 at the lower end thereof, and when the pipe 19 is placed over the spindle 13, the key 17 of the spindle 13 engages, the pipe 19 in the bayonet slots 21. The pipe 19 has mounted on the upper end the handle 22.

The pipe 19 has threaded thereon the disc plate 23 which has mounted on the lower side the leather washer 24. The disc 23 threadedly engages the pipe 19 as at 25. The pipe 19 rotatively engages the cover 2 in the central opening. 26.

The disc 23 may be made of sheet metal inasmuch as it is not designed to serve as a piston or plunger for ejecting the soap. The frictional contact of the washer 2 1 with the sides of the container 1 and the soap is sufficient to prevent the disc 23 from turning when the handle 22 is actuated to turn the pipe 19. Hence, as the pipe 19is turned, the threaded engagement of the disc 23 with the pipe causes the disc to turn downwardly toward the bottom of the container. The pitch of the threads on the pipe 19 is such that the disc 23 does not serve as a piston or plunger to eject the soap. In other words, the downward movement of the disc 23 is so co-ordinated with the impeller fan 6 that the soap is ejected by the action of the impeller fan 6 and not through pressure exerted by the disc 23 upon the soap. The disc 23 in its downward movement serves merely to remove any soap which clings to the sides of the container and to keepthe soap in the space between the disc and the bottom 3 of the container where it can be reached by the fan 6 to be ejected from the container through the opening 4.

To refill the container 1 the handle 22 need only be turned in the direction opposite to that of the arrow (Fig. 2) which causes the slot 21 of the pipe 19 to have a sliding cam engagement with the key 17 of the spindle 13 which in turn disconnects the pipe 19 from the spindle 13. The pipe 19, disc 23, and the cover 2 may be removed from the container which leaves the spindle 13, the fan 6, and the stud 15 in operative position within the container. The soft soap may then be put into the container and the pipe 19, disc 23, and cover 2 replaced whereupon the dispenser is ready for action.

To remove the fan from the container, it is only necessary to unscrew the threaded stud 15 from the hub 10 whereupon the fan 6, spindle 13, pipe 19 through its bayonet slot engagement with the pin 17, disc 23, cover 2, and handle 22 may be removed as a unit by an upward lift on the handle 22.

hat I claim is:

1. A soap dispenser comprising in combination a container arranged to receive a quantity of soft soap, a fan having one or more blades inclined from the vertical and arranged to be covered by, and to eject, the soap through an opening in the bottom of the said container, 2. spindle fixed to the said fan and extending upwardly, a pipe arranged to surround the said spindle, the said pipe and spindle having a clutch connection, a disc threadedly mounted on the said pipe and arranged to move downwardly within the said container to scrape the soap from the sides thereof as the pipe is rotated to turn the fan to eject the soap whereby, when the pipe is rotated in the opposite direction, the pipe and discare disconnected from the said fan and spindle and may be removed independently therefrom to facilitate filling of the soap container.

2. A soap dispenser comprising in combination a container arranged to receive a quantity of soft soap, a fan having one or more blades inclined from the vertical and arranged to be covered by, and to eject, the soap through an opening in the bottom of the said container, a spindle having a key fixed to the said fan and extending upwardly, a pipe having a slot in one end arranged to surround the said spindle, the said key engaging in the said slot, a disc threadedly mounted on the said pipe and arranged to move downwardly within the said container to scrape soap from the sides thereof as the pipe is rotated to turn the fan to eject the soap whereby, when the pipe is rotated in the opposite direction, the pipe and disc are disconnected from the said fan and may be removed independently thereof to permit filling of the soap container.

3. A soap dispenser comprising in combination a container arranged to receive a quantity of soft soap, a spindle extending centrally of the said container, a fan having one or more vertically inclined blades mounted on the lower end of said spindle, a stud arranged to rotatively engage an opening in the bottom of the container and serve as a shaft for the said fan to permit rotary movement and to prevent upward movement by the said fan, a key on the lower end of the l h 1 the refilling of the said container.

said spindle, a pipe having a slot in one end arranged to surround the said spindle and to engage the said key in the said slot, a disc threadedly mounted on the said pipe and arranged to move downwardly to scrape the sides of the said container. as the pipe is turned to rotate the said spindle and fan, the said key and slot connection permitting the pipe and the disc to he removed independent- I of the said fan and spindle tofacilitate In testimony whereof I afiizi my signature.

FRANK M. FUNK. 

